Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Daniel Inouye, first Japanese-American to serve in the US Senate

Daniel Inouye, born September 7, 1924 in Hawaii, was the second Asian American senator in the US Senate, after Hiram Fong (Chinese-American) from Hawaii.  He was the first Japanese-American to serve in the US House of Representative.

He served in WWII as part of the 442nd Infantry Regiment and received the Medal of Honor.  He was elected to Hawaii's territorial House of Representatives in 1953 and to the territorial Senate in 1957.  When Hawaii attained statehood in 1959, Inouye was elected as its first member of the US House of Representatives.  He was elected to serve in the US Senate in 1962.  

He served continuously until his death in December 2012. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Blanche Bruce, first African-American senator to serve a full term

Blanche Kelso Bruce, born March 1, 1841 into slavery in Virginia, was the first elected African-American from Mississippi senator to serve a full term.  Hiram Revels, also of Mississippi was the first African-American senator but did not complete a full term.

His mother was a domestic slave and his father was her master, Pettis Perkinson, a white Virginia planter.  His father legally freed him and arranged for an apprenticeship to learn a trade.  He worked as a steamboat porter on the Mississippi River and moved to Hannibal, Missouri where he established a school for black children.  In 1868, he purchased a Mississippi Delta plantation and became a landowner of several thousand acres in the delta area.  

He was elected to the Senate in 1874 and on February 14, 1879, he presided over the first African-American and the only former slave to do so.  He served from March 1875 to March 1881.  

He was appointed Register of the Treasury in 1897 by President William McKinley and served until his death in 1898.  

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Catherine Cortez Masto, first Latina US Senator

Catherine Cortez Masto, born March 29, 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the first Latina to serve as US Senator and the first woman to represent Nevada in the senate.

She narrowly defeated her Republican challenger to replace the outgoing Democratic Senator.  She took office in January 2017.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Octaviano Larrazolo, first Hispanic American to serve in the US Senate

Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo, born in Chihuahua, Mexico in December 1859, is the first Mexican-American to serve in the United States Senate.  He moved to Arizona when he was 11.  

He studied law and was a teacher and principal.  He was instrumental for securing the Spanish language for use in conducting public business.

In 1918, he was elected as a Republican as governor of New Mexico.  In 1928, he was elected to fill the senatorial seat of Andrieus Jones, who had died in office.  Upon taking the seat on December 7, 1928, he became the first Hispanic-American to serve in the US Senate.  Unfortunately, he passed away after serving only three months.